Musings and Sometimes Rants about the non-equal status of Fathers in Family Law and Parenting. Additionally periodic comparisons to the treatment of men compared to women in other areas including health care.

OTTAWA – Saskatoon-Wanuskewin MP Maurice Vellacott commends the Green Party for adding a commitment to equal shared parenting as a party policy. Last year, the Conservative MP introduce Bill C-422, which would amend the Divorce Act to require judges to order equal shared parenting for divorcing parents unless it is not in the best interests of the child to do so.

Over the weekend, the Green Party passed a policy motion declaring that “the Green Party of Canada will make the necessary changes to the Canada Divorce Act so that in the event of a marital breakdown, the Divorce Act will mandate a default of equal parenting – defined as equal time and responsibility unless there is consent from both parents, or there are specific criminal convictions related to the children that preclude equal parenting.

“My work for equal shared parenting has always been a non-partisan effort,” said Vellacott. “Equal parenting groups in Canada are also talking to Members of Parliament from all parties,” he added.

“A survey I conducted shows a large majority of Canadians supports equal parenting, regardless of what political party the respondents support,” Vellacott said.

“Congratulations to the Green Party for voting to add equal parenting to their party policies.”

Monday, August 16, 2010

This is an email note from Ken Thompson with respect to his search for his abducted son Andrew. He is currently bicycling across Europe in his quest to find his only child abducted and alienated by his wife.MJM

An invitation is attached to attend a celebration to mark Andrew's 6th

birthday on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. The event will take

place this Thursday 19th August 2010 at 12:30 pm.

This event has been organised by people in Australia who are maintaining

Andrew's profile in his own country while I'm continuing my search for

him in Europe. It is also part of my campaign to raise awareness to

other kids who have been abducted from Australia.

People who attend will be asked to release a balloon with Andrew's

picture on it. The balloons will be released in front of a 10 metre long

banner that will be displayed at a very prominent location at the Opera

Monday, August 9, 2010

Runner David Nash passed through Sudbury recently as part his 'Cross Canada Run for the Children,' a nearly 7,300 km trek in support of Canadian family law reform and the adoption of Bill C422. Supplied photo

Aug 09, 2010

By Max Leighton

Somewhere on a highway outside of North Bay a man runs alone, pushing a child’s stroller containing the few possessions he has the strength to bring with him.

His name is David Nash, a former professional boxer, turned family justice crusader. He is entering the final leg of his “Cross Canada Run for the Children,” a nearly 7,300 km trek from Victoria B.C. to Cape Spear, Nfld., in support of Canadian family law reform and the adoption of Bill C422, a proposition to amend the divorce act.

His run, which began at the Terry Fox memorial in Victoria B.C. on June 1, brought him through Sudbury last week.

For Nash, family justice is an issue close to home. He recently settled a four-year legal dispute with his ex-wife over the custody of their son, and since then has spent much of his time campaigning for Canadian family law reform.

“Most Canadians don’t know how bad the system is until they go through it,” he said.

“When it comes to tax time, this government likes to remind us that we are first class citizens, but when we want our parental rights recognized, we are third class all the way.”

He believes his views are shared by many other Canadians. Setting out with little money and no sponsorship, Nash has often had to rely on the generosity of complete strangers, many of whom have shared his experiences with family law.

“People have been incredibly supportive of me,” he said.

“They provide vehicles to help me carry my gear, often they give me food or a place to stay. These are people who have had their lives completely turned on end by our justice system and they want the word out.”

The journey has not been easy, even with this support. A former light heavyweight and Eastern Canadian champion, he admits that this run has been among his greatest physical challenges. Nash currently runs about 64 km, or one and a half “marathons” per day, having already passed through some of this country’s most challenging terrain.

“My knees are taking a beating,” he said. “In training, I had developed some arthritic pain and it is starting to get worse as the days go on.”

Despite the difficulty, he said he remains hopeful that his message will be heard. “This run has given me a platform to speak from,” he said. “But my real work will continue after all this is done.”

This month he is being interviewed for an upcoming documentary on equal parenting called “Big Bad Dad” and he plans to write a book about the experiences of parents and children in the Canadian family justice system sometime in the near future.

But nearing the home stretch, he has simpler ambitions in mind. Recently remarried, Nash said he is looking forward to reuniting with a wife and children he has not seen in more than two months.

“This is the longest I have ever been away from them,” he said. “The first thing I am going to do when I get home is give my kids a big hug, then I think I am going to sit down and have a home cooked meal with my family.”

About Me

I am Politically active and right of centre on most issues with the odd exception such as legalization of "Mary Jane".
I advocate on changes to Family Law - an incredibly dysfunctional arena where parents are pitted against one another and children are the victims.
My picture will sometimes show me as a younger man simply because I like them.

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Leading causes of Injury to Women 2006

In 2006, unintentional falls were the leading cause of nonfatal injury among women of every age group, and rates generally increased with age. Women aged 65 years and older had the highest rate of injury due to unintentional falls (59.7 per 1,000 women), while slightly more than 19 per 1,000 women aged 18–34 and 35–44 years experienced fall-related injuries. Unintentional injuries sustained as motor vehicle occupants were the second leading cause of injury among 18- to 34-year-olds (18.7 per 1,000), while unintentional overexertion was the second leading cause of injury among women aged 35–44 and 45–64 years (13.7 and 9.3 per 1,000, respectively). Among women aged 65 years and older, being unintentionally struck by or against an object was the second leading cause of injury (5.7 per 1,000).

Injury related Emergency Department Visits

Unintentional and intentional injuries each represented a higher proportion of emergency department (ED) visits for men than women in 2005. Among women and men aged 18 years and older, unintentional injuries accounted for 19.9 and 27.5 percent of ED visits, respectively, while intentional injuries, or assault, represented 1.4 and 2.7 percent of visits, respectively. Among both women and men, unintentional injury accounted for a higher percentage of ED visits among those living in non-metropolitan areas, while adults living in metropolitan areas had a slightly higher percentage of ED visits due to intentional injury.